Chapter 6: Twenty Years of Inner Power
\nIt was nighttime.
\nZuo Meng and his group stayed at the Gu family courtyard, Gu Fei\u2019s home. She had returned from the mountain to visit her family. As disciples of the Liuhe Sect, Zuo Meng and the others were treated with exceptional hospitality. Gu Fei no longer tried to drive Zuo Meng away, though she still mostly ignored him. Since he hadn\u2019t found the information he needed, he saw no reason to leave yet.
\nIn the side room, the two female disciples with Gu Fei cracked open a window and peered through the door slit at Zuo Meng\u2019s quarters.
\n\u201cOlder Sister, are we really going to move against Zuo Meng?\u201d
\n\u201cHaving second thoughts?\u201d
\nThe one speaking was the female disciple Zuo Meng had mistaken for Gu Fei earlier. Gone was her daytime gentleness\u2014now her eyes burned with icy hatred.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t forget how Zuo Han Sheng slaughtered your mother.\u201d
\n\u201cBut what does that have to do with Zuo Meng?\u201d
\nThe merger of the Liuhe Sect hadn\u2019t been peaceful. Zuo Han Sheng\u2019s Taiyuan Sword Sect had joined through underhanded deals, which was why he\u2019d settled for an elder position afterward. The process had been less a union and more a devouring of the weak by the strong. Rebellious clans were nearly eradicated, and Ma Wutong along with these two women were likely survivors of those swallowed sects.
\n\u201cThat old viper Zuo Han Sheng will die in time. But first, we\u2019ll collect some interest.\u201d
\n\u201cBut\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cNo excuses. Stay here if you lack resolve. I\u2019ll handle it myself.\u201d
\nAfter finishing speaking, the woman snatched her Long Sword and strode out alone.
\nZuo Meng sat cross-legged in his room, eyes shut as he cultivated inner energy. His mediocre talent explained why years of training had yielded scant results, forcing him to rely on altering law chains to cheat his way forward. He vaguely sensed the schemes around him but dismissed them, focusing entirely on the faint currents of power within.
\n\u201cNo growth after all this time. Hard work and talent alone won\u2019t make me strong.\u201d Feeling his stagnant energy, Zuo Meng abandoned conventional methods entirely.
\n\u201cThe dream will come again tonight. Maybe this time I\u2019ll learn more.\u201d
\nBefore sleep could claim him, shouts erupted outside.
\n\u201cSenior Brother! Trouble!\u201d
\nTwo day-acquainted disciples barged in.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nZuo Meng rose, Long Sword in hand.
\n\u201cAn intruder killed servants in the Gu compound. Junior Sister Gu is already confronting them.\u201d
\n\u201cLet\u2019s go.\u201d
\nZuo Meng needed Gu Fei alive\u2014her alchemy secrets remained undiscovered. Until then, her survival mattered.
\nThe courtyard swarmed with people, torchlight painting everything orange.
\nAt the center stood a masked man in black clutching a curved blade, Gu Fei poised across from him. Two servant corpses lay at his feet. Though outmatched by Zuo Meng in sect sparring, Gu Fei surpassed common martial artists. True inner power belonged only to prestigious sects\u2014this man\u2019s brutal techniques lacked such refinement.
\n\u201cNot bad,\u201d the intruder sneered, \u201cbut I\u2019m done here.\u201d
\nSpotting Zuo Meng\u2019s approach, he slashed his longsword to force Gu Fei back, then hurled an object to the ground.
\nSmoke exploded, vanishing him from sight.
\n\u201cAfter him!\u201d
\nThe Gu family patriarch, dressed like a wealthy merchant, stamped his foot in fury.
\nThe Gu family servants immediately started searching. Since the intruder didn\u2019t know inner power, he couldn\u2019t have gotten far.
\nHmm?
\nZuo Meng was about to move when he suddenly noticed the bottle thrown by the masked man in black earlier. A strange energy had entered his body, making the vanished law chains reappear in his vision.
\n“What\u2019s that?”
\nWearing Liuhe Sect disciple robes, Zuo Meng got a careful answer from the servant.
\n“That\u2019s dust powder. Grave robbers often use it.”
\n“Dust powder?”
\nZuo Meng relaxed. He didn\u2019t need to care about Gu Fei anymore \u2013 he\u2019d found the source. He guessed Gu Fei had mixed dust powder into the Qingling Pill he took earlier.
\n“Where\u2019s it from?”
\n“Refined from black dust stone. Very costly. That thief must\u2019ve been desperate to use it for escaping.” The servant answered before rushing off to chase the thief.
\nHaving absorbed a whole bottle of scattered dust powder, Zuo Meng stopped caring about the Gu family\u2019s troubles.
\nHe returned alone to his room and shut the door.
\nThe law chains reappeared in his eyes. This time, ten times more energy gathered at his fingertips than during daytime, the thick power almost visible.
\n“Still inner power!”
\nAs the law chains shook, the energy flowed from his fingers into the chains, then into his body. His inner power exploded at visible speed. This cheating sensation intoxicated him \u2013 like hacking a game to level up while others grinded normally.
\nTwenty years\u2019 inner power!
\nWhen the energy at his fingertips faded, Zuo Meng\u2019s inner power had reached terrifying levels.
\nTwenty years\u2019 cultivation matched many Liuhe Sect elders. His master Zuo Han Sheng had thirty years\u2019 power after decades of training. Zuo Meng nearly caught up in mere breaths \u2013 this growth speed would shock anyone.
\n“Things are clear now. Time to return to the mountains. The Gu family\u2019s in trouble.”
\n“Not my problem.”
\nStretching his limbs, Zuo Meng felt lighter than before. His main goal was achieved \u2013 the law chains needed dust powder. He\u2019d ask about it later. Since he owed Gu Fei nothing, the Gu family\u2019s issues didn\u2019t concern him.
\nBest avoid trouble.
\nWithout farewells, Zuo Meng grabbed his Long Sword and left the Gu compound.
\n“Who\u2019s there?”
\nHis horse had barely taken steps when Zuo Meng yanked the reins.
\nThe steed reared as two hidden weapons shot through the air toward his throat. Hours earlier, he\u2019d have died to this ambush. But with twenty years\u2019 inner power, he now matched Liuhe Sect elders.
\nHe flipped sideways off the saddle, leaving a Phantom Shadow.
\nHis Long Sword flashed from its sheath!
\nChanneling inner power, he kicked mid-air. A crescent sword energy sliced the projectiles away.
\n“Die, dog!”
\nBefore Zuo Meng landed, the second attack came. Dozens of masked men in black stood on nearby roofs, aiming longbows with blue-glowing arrows dipped in deadly poison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chapter 6: Twenty Years of Inner Power It was nighttime. Zuo Meng and his group stayed at the Gu family courtyard, Gu Fei\u2019s home. She had returned from the mountain to visit her family. As disciples of the Liuhe Sect, Zuo Meng and the others were treated with exceptional hospitality. Gu Fei no longer tried to drive Zuo Meng away, though she still mostly\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[3],"tags":[],"fcn_genre":[],"fcn_fandom":[],"fcn_character":[],"fcn_content_warning":[],"class_list":["post-1384","fcn_chapter","type-fcn_chapter","status-publish","hentry","category-dreaming-to-become-a-creator"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1384","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/fcn_chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1384"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_chapter\/1384\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1384"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_genre?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_fandom","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_fandom?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_character","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_character?post=1384"},{"taxonomy":"fcn_content_warning","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tmp.gravitytales.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/fcn_content_warning?post=1384"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}